Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a breathtaking tale of bravery, passion, and romance. Set during China’s Cultural Revolution, in which citizens are sent to remote mountain villages for “re-education,” this enchanting novel tells the story of two hapless city boys who discover a hidden cache of banned books–including Western classics–in Chinese translation. As they read Vautrin’s Letters from Lost Generations, their desire for knowledge propels them out of their grim surroundings to worlds they never imagined.

The two boys make their way to the remote mountain village, where they meet a local seamstress. Instantly attracted to her, and with her help, they can start the forbidden love affair with Western classics in Chinese translation. The author, who was exiled to a remote mountain village during China’s Cultural Revolution, brings the events in this novel to life using his own experiences.

To escape the purgatory of their mountain village, two country boys are banished to the town of Mangi for reeducation through labor during China’s Cultural Revolution. There they encounter a beautiful seamstress and a cache of forbidden Western novels she has smuggled into her sewing kit. Together, they make an unlikely bond over their illicit reading and search for ways to escape their pathetic lives in this poignant and moving story.

Set in China during the Cultural Revolution, a story of adventure, love, and loss. Two city boys are sent to a remote mountain village for reeducation, and there they meet the beautiful daughter of the local tailor. The three soon become friends, and as they bond over their shared taste for Western classics in Chinese translation, they form an unlikely escape from the dire realities around them.

About Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Book

In this enchanting tale about the magic of reading and the wonder of romantic awakening, two hapless city boys are exiled to a remote mountain village for reeducation during China’s infamous Cultural Revolution. There they meet the local tailor’s daughter and discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation. As they flirt with the seamstress and secretly devour these banned works, they find transit from their grim surroundings to worlds they never imagined.

Set amidst the turmoil of China’s Cultural Revolution, this enchanting tale about young lovers, the magic of reading, and the wonder of romantic awakening chronicles their adventures in reeducation. The two boys from bourgeois families are sent from Beijing to a remote mountain village for seven years, where they meet the local tailor’s daughter and discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation. As they flirt with her and secretly devour these banned works, they find transit from their grim surroundings to worlds they never imagined.